Amanda Abbington

Amanda Abbington (born February 28, 1974) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Miss Mardle in Mr. Selfridge and Mary Morstan in the BBC adaptation of Sherlock.

Early life

Abbington was born as Amanda Jane Smith on February 28, 1974, in London, UK. An only child, she was brought up in Hertfordshire.

Career

Abbington appeared in the TV series The Bill until 2007 as various characters. During that time she also appeared in the TV series Wycliffe, Casualty, Dream Team, The Sins, Shades, Doc Martin, Coupling, and Teachers.

She appeared in the 2005 comedy sketch show Man Stroke Woman and the 2007–2008 comedy After You've Gone with Nicholas Lyndhurst. She has also appeared in recurring series such as Bernard's Watch and Case Histories.

In 2013, she began appearing in the television series Mr. Selfridge as Miss Mardle alongside Jeremy Piven and Frances O'Connor. In 2014, Abbington appeared in the third series of Sherlock as Mary Morstan, the wife of John Watson, played by her then real-life partner Martin Freeman. In 2015 she appeared in the BBC drama Cuffs.

Most recently, she was seen as Charon Bander in "Anger" episode of the TV series I Hate Suzie. She has also finished filming for Richard J. Perry's Three Pints and a Rabbi, in which she will be seen alongside Michael Maloney and Jordan Stephens. The film is in post-production, with the release date yet to be announced. 

On stage, Abbington appeared in August 2018 in the role of Annette in God of Carnage at the Theatre Royal, Bath, and in 2019 as the character Anne in Florian Zeller's play The Son at the Kiln Theatre in Kilburn, London which later that year transferred to The Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End.

Personal life

Abbington was the longtime partner of British actor Martin Freeman, whom she met on the set of the film Men Only in 2000. The couple appeared together on screen in productions such as The Debt, The Robinsons, The Good Night, and Sherlock. They lived in Hertfordshire and have two children together. The couple split in 2016.

Abbington was declared bankrupt by the High Court in March 2013 as a result of a £120,000 tax bill but declared in March 2014 that she had already resolved the issue.

Filmography